My Bookmarks

As you browse, bookmark any page and then find it here for easy reference.

You have 0 bookmarks.

Preface

As the World Health Organization estimates that depression will become the second leading cause of death by the year 2020
– due primarily to complications arising from stress and the cardiovascular system – the need to develop novel and more effective
treatment strategies for patients suffering with mood disorders has never been more paramount. Current treatment options for
depressed patients include a variety of molecules designed to exclusively elevate central nervous system levels of monoamines
such as serotonin (5-HT). These classes include the monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tricyclics and are exemplified by the
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the dual serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). While these
medicines are moderately effective in some patient populations, there are still considerable limitations associated with all
commercially available antidepressants. These drawbacks include, but are not limited to, delayed onset of efficacy, treatment
resistance in many patients, and deleterious side effects such as emesis and sexual dysfunction. The focus of this book is
to review the current landscape and state of the field for depression research with an eye towards shedding light on where
the future of mood disorders research is headed in terms of novel therapeutic targets, preclinical model development, exploring
depression endophenotypes, and medicinal chemistry strategies. Undoubtedly all of these disciplines, as well as others including
genetics and translational medicine approaches, will need to successfully collaborate to help build a better understanding
of disease etiology, patient stratification, and treatment. As depression research has evolved over the past 50 years, the
next decade will be instrumental in facilitating a move beyond our current understanding and pharmacological treatment options,
and strive to discover and develop more personalized and effective treatment options for the millions of patients suffering
from chronic and debilitating mood disorders.

Chad E. Beyer, PhD, MBA

Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

Translational research in mood disorders:

Abstract

Dramatic scientific and technological advances in the field of drug discovery have been made over the past decade, without
a corresponding improvement in the success rate of compounds in clinical development. In response, translational research
was developed as a research discipline with the aim of improving the correspondence between preclinical and clinical success
of therapeutic treatments by identifying novel disease biomarkers, drug targets, and mechanisms of action for compounds of
interest. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have been widely used to reveal
the neurobiological underpinnings of human cognition and emotion. The knowledge gained from such studies is currently being
employed in the clinical setting to better diagnose and develop treatments for mood disorders. Many of the imaging techniques
established in humans are now feasible in animal models (rodents and non-human primates), allowing closer alignment of imaging
biomarkers across species and improved congruency between the laboratory and clinical setting. In this review, we explore
the use of neuroimaging biomarkers as a translational technique to pave the way to improved clinical success through greater
psychiatric disease understanding.